Being with an independent publisher (in my case the wonderful Crème de la Crime) is being with a publisher where you can call up anytime and speak directly to the person in charge. That person has real interest in your book. They’ve taken it on because they believe in it, and they’ll do what they can to promote it. Of course, the author has to do his bit, too. Got to make calls, summon up press and appearances, put together a website, Facebook page, Twitter and whatever (including this blog, obviously). That’s fine. I’m proud of the book, I want it to sell, and I’m happy to put in the effort.
The downside is that there’s no publicity budget. It’s definitely flying by the seat of the pants time. However, that’s very similar to the DIY ethos that powered much of the punk scene, and several of the various movements of bands. Even today there’s an underground. There might not be money but there is satisfaction. It’s good to come in as an unknown quantity and convince people that The Broken Token is a book worth their time and money. That can be in a signing in a bookshop or when talking to an audience. It’s getting out there and hustling, which can be quite antithetical for most writers. Once you get in the groove and figure out how to do it, it can be fun, too. So the downside certainly isn’t all down. It does, however, make it harder to get reviews in the dailies. My plan? Build a reputation slowly until they can’t ignore the series any more…
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